GCSE english
How does Steinbeck present the relationship between George and Lennie?
The novella is set in the 1930s which was the time of the Great Depression (this is a time when there was severe economic downfall due to the Wall Street Crash). This means that it was very uncommon to sustain a friendship as migrant workers never trusted each other and life was a great struggle, but there are two characters that do have a friendship and it is shown all over the book.
We are first introduced to the characters, George and Lennie in chapter 1 and Steinbeck gives away what will happen later on in the book (foreshadowing) using the main themes and imagery. When George and Lennie are presented in chapter 1, George is described as the strong one, the one with qualities of leader while Lennie follows him and is always dependent on him, like a child. "They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other." This quote is showing that one of the characters leads the way while the other follows. Steinbeck then goes on to describe how the characters look, which also gives away who leads and who follows. Lennie - the follower - is "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders and he walks heavily". He is described using animal imagery and his description makes him seem very childlike and dependent, however George "is small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him is defined". This description makes him seem like a very responsible, straight to the point and a no-nonsense kind of person, which leads to how Lennie follows George around like a lost puppy and George takes care of him and leads him.
Both characters are really dependent on each other as the Great Depression was going on and migrant workers had no one, they were normally lonely and worked on ranches on their own. They are both exceptions in the novella though because they are different from other
The novella is set in the 1930s which was the time of the Great Depression (this is a time when there was severe economic downfall due to the Wall Street Crash). This means that it was very uncommon to sustain a friendship as migrant workers never trusted each other and life was a great struggle, but there are two characters that do have a friendship and it is shown all over the book.
We are first introduced to the characters, George and Lennie in chapter 1 and Steinbeck gives away what will happen later on in the book (foreshadowing) using the main themes and imagery. When George and Lennie are presented in chapter 1, George is described as the strong one, the one with qualities of leader while Lennie follows him and is always dependent on him, like a child. "They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other." This quote is showing that one of the characters leads the way while the other follows. Steinbeck then goes on to describe how the characters look, which also gives away who leads and who follows. Lennie - the follower - is "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders and he walks heavily". He is described using animal imagery and his description makes him seem very childlike and dependent, however George "is small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him is defined". This description makes him seem like a very responsible, straight to the point and a no-nonsense kind of person, which leads to how Lennie follows George around like a lost puppy and George takes care of him and leads him.
Both characters are really dependent on each other as the Great Depression was going on and migrant workers had no one, they were normally lonely and worked on ranches on their own. They are both exceptions in the novella though because they are different from other